Disappearance of Frogs and the Rise of Dengue and Chikungunya

Human race would have never thought that the dwindling number of frogs in water bodies could be the triggering factor behind the steep rise of water-borne diseases.

Since the frogs eat mosquitoes, their dwindling population is causing multifold increase to the mosquito menace. The exploding of Chikungunya and Dengue cases is proportional to the decline in population of frogs.

Environmentalists also attribute the existing imbalance in the ecology, climate change, surge in human population and eating patterns as the main causes to increase in such epidemics.

In 2010 the national capital of Delhi has reported around 120 cases of Chikungunya. Current year the number of cases reached 1724, an increase of 14 times.

The extinction of Frogs indicates the mounting pollution in the surrounding environment. The toxins and chemical substances enter into the animal’s porous skin causing their death

In all major cities the frog habitats has been recklessly destroyed. In Delhi alone the number of water bodies sheltering frogs dwindled from 793 in 2007 to 400 in 2010.

Urgent measures need to be taken to repopulate the frogs in urban spaces for curbing the rise of diseases such as Dengue, Chickungunya.

Without addressing the root cause of mosquito menace, using repellant and fumigation alone cannot protect the human beings from its dangerous bite.